


그날

by GoddessOfDestruction



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, M/M, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 07:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16113287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessOfDestruction/pseuds/GoddessOfDestruction
Summary: Im Jaebum, aka JB, is known across all quadrants of the galaxy – and not for the best motives. He's an illegal smuggler working outside of the Galactic Empire's laws, and has fooled pretty much everyone that there is in the vast cosmos. He flies a poor excuse for a ship, has a two men crew – a mechanic / co-pilot, and a translator / gunner – and is the biggest, sorest loser that there is. When Prince Yugyeom of Alderaan promises him a large sum of Credits in exchange for his services, he doesn't even think twice about saying yes. After all, the job is easy money; all he has to do is go to Tatooine and get whatever a "Bambam" is. It seems easy... until Jaebum gets more than he bargained for.You don't need to know a single thing about Star Wars to read this.It helps if you know, though...





	그날

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seventheavenly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventheavenly/gifts).



_The Royal Palace of Alderaan lays on a slight rise at the edge of Aldera, overlooking a vast lake. The Palace stands out as an assemblage of shallow domes and tall, sharp spires that gleam white and gold in the daylight. Almost every room of the Palace is granted with a balcony or a terrace overlooking either the lake or the ensemble of orchards and gardens surrounding the Palace’s outer enclosure. C-3PO, a protocol droid, comes to find the two little boys he's looking for sitting on the floor of one of the balconies, a few books lying forgotten around them. One of the boys is the young Prince of Alderaan, Yugyeom, the other one is his dearest friend, Kunpimook, nicknamed Bambam by everyone. The two ten-year-old's have relatively similar body frames, but whilst Bambam stands out as the thinner, Yugyeom is the taller of the two._

_"My Dad is going on a business trip and he wants me to go with him," Bambam comments. "He's going to Naboo, where he was born, and he wants me to meet the planet. I wish you could come. It's going to be boring without you."_

_"I don't think my Father would let me go anyways."_

_"You know, my Dad says that in Naboo there are lots and lots of fishes and that the rocks of Lake Country are of all colors that there are in the universe. I'll try to bring you one."_

_"A rock?"_

_"Nah," Bambam chuckles as he says, "a fish!"_

_Yugyeom laughs as well._

_"You silly boys, always up to something," C-3PO speaks as he approaches the boys._

_"Hi, 3PO," the two boys greet the droid in unison. The young Prince continues, "What's the matter?"_

_"It's almost dinnertime, Master Yugyeom. The maid is already preparing your bath."_

_Yugyeom crinkles his nose as he looks at the golden-plated droid. "I want to be with Bamie a little more. You know, he's going on a trip with his dad and he’ll only be back on Pentaday."_

_C-3PO lets out a sound almost similar to a human's chuckle, "That sure is a long time for the two of you to be apart, but you have to come now, Master."_

_Letting out a deep sigh, Yugyeom gets up, "Alright."_

_"Go ahead and meet with the maid. I'll accompany Master Kunpimook to the door."_

_Yugyeom waves at his friend, "See you soon, Bamie."_

_Bambam waves back, "Bye, Yugie."_

_“Don’t forget my fish,” Yugyeom shouts, already sprinting down the corridor._

That was the last time they saw each other.

There are no signs of Bambam on the supposed day of his arrival. On the day after, Yugyeom is told that the ship Bambam and his father were traveling on had had some mechanical problems and that their arrival had been delayed. When another day rolls by, the little Prince suspects something is going on and inquires his father directly about it. The King decides to be honest with his son – he tells him that the ship had been assaulted by thugs. Bambam’s father had been killed during the looting, shortly after sending out a distress call, and his little friend had disappeared, most likely taken prisoner by the thugs, to latter be sold out as a slave.

Young Yugyeom understood everything his father told him but he didn’t understand why they couldn’t find his friend.

 

* * *

 

If Jaebum wasn’t drunk, he would be feigning that he isn’t impressed by the interior of the Palace of Alderaan. But the sad truth is that he _is_ drunk after having one too many drinks at an Alderaanian cantina. Jaebum staggers along the long, winding corridors, looking around, marveled at the exquisite architecture and decoration of the palace. The two guards in charge of escorting him to one of the office rooms simply sigh and stroll after him, concerned only with taking him to the Prince before he throws up on the floor. They open back the large doors of the office and don’t even have to tell their guest to walk in because he does that before even being invited to do so, going straight to the big aquarium that occupies the entire length of the opposite wall. He manages to walk around the long table, making the guards doubt for a second there if he is really drunk, but then he bumps against and nearly knocks over one of the chairs, so they get the confirmation that he is indeed intoxicated, _embarrassingly_ intoxicated.

“Prince Yugyeom will meet with you shortly,” one of the guards tells him.

“Yeah, a’right,” he slurs, waving a hand to dismiss them.

Pressing his forehead and palms flat against the glass, Jaebum gazes in awe at the brightly colored sea creatures that swim inside the aquarium, fogging up the glass when he breathes. Never in his life had he seen so many and so colorful creatures. All he saw while growing up in Corellia was smelly sewers, tall shipyard buildings and ship harbors. It is true that he has been to countless planets and star systems but he never visited them with the intent of sightseeing.

“Fascinating, right?”

Jaebum looks away from the aquarium, meeting the young Prince standing right next to him. He stands with a straight posture, hands clasped behind his back. His blonde hair is eye-catching, particularly so when all of his garments are of different shades of gray. The jumpsuit is of a lighter tone of gray whilst the long cape of a thick woven fabric that is flipped over his left shoulder is slightly darker. The symbol of Alderaan is engraved on the upper left sleeve of his attire, and on the buckle of his leather belt. Jaebum, in navy trousers, a wrinkled shirt and a black vest, sticks out like a sore thumb when standing next to the Prince.

“Your Highness,” Jaebum bows at the Prince.

He greets the smuggler in the same manner, “Mister JB.”

They shake hands before Yugyeom gestures at the chairs, so that they can talk business more comfortably.

“I’ll go straight to the point, Mister JB,” the Prince says. “I need you to go to Tatooine and get Bambam by any means necessary. I will pay you fifty thousand Credits, twenty in advance, the rest once you return.” Yugyeom signals at the two guards that stand by the door. They step outside the room only to reenter shortly after, bringing a metal box and placing it over the table. The Prince opens it, revealing the Credits. “What do you say?”

Jaebum leans over the box, picking up and carefully looking at a few ingots, “I’m in.”

“Very well,” he closes the box again and stands up. Stretching out his hand at Jaebum, he tells him, “Good luck, Mister JB.”

He shakes the Prince’s hand, “Thank you.”

Turning to the two guards, the Prince orders, “Help him taking this back to his ship, please.” He’s almost out the room when he walks back a few steps, warning, “Mister JB? I’d appreciate if you’d not speak about our business with my father.”

“Not a problem, your Highness,” Jaebum provides a mocking salute and watches the Prince walk away. He stifles a chuckle as he tells one of the guards, “Fifty thousand Creds? He must be really desperate. Would have accepted the job for just twenty.”

Jaebum and the two guards make their way to Platform 327 where Jaebum’s ship is. Nora is a light freighter of aged appearance, described as a piece of junk by everyone else but Jaebum – Nora is the apple of his eye. Its basic shape is defined by two convex saucers welded together, a pair of front-facing mandibles and an outrigger-style, side-mounted cockpit with viewports shielded by a hardy and transparent material. Its engines have been heavily modified, same as its weaponry. Nora is equipped with two laser cannons, one ventral and one dorsal, two missile tubes placed between the forward mandibles, and additionally, a blaster cannon had been mounted near the ventral boarding ramp allowing its crew to defend the ship while on the ground.

“I can take it from here,” Jaebum tells the guards as they stands in front of the open ramp of his ship.

The guards nod, setting the box on the ground. Jaebum grabs it by one of the side handlers and pulls it inside, tripping over his feet only three times. He leaves the box in the storage room before making the way to the main hold area, to meet with his crewmates. He finds them playing Dejarik and knows _for sure_ that Mark is winning, or else the environment wouldn’t be so calm and welcoming.

Mark is an ace pilot, quiet and short-fused, but he’s righteous and hard worker. He hails from Jakku, an Inner Rim planet, considered by the rest of the galaxy as a distant and relatively worthless planet. Jakku used to be a verdant world with forests and water but the Civil War transformed it into a planet of barren, scorched badlands and dunes. Mark was a scavenger who worked from sunrise to sunset, scrapping metal from crashed ships to earn a miserable sealed packet portion of food at the end of the day – dried green meat, to be cooked in his makeshift wok, and a beige powder, to be poured into milky water and stirred to grow into a loaf. Mark still remembers the night when he, sleeping inside his dwelling, – an ancient, fallen AT-AT – jolted awake with the sound of a ship crashing nearby. He quickly befriended the pilot, Jaebum, and after the ship was repaired, the two left Mark’s desert world behind to explore the galaxy and make a life outside the laws of the Empire. 

Unlike Mark, Jackson doesn’t remember his home world, or even his parents. The boy who would be named Jackson by his friends and crewmates was taken as a child from his family to serve the Galactic Empire. For a few years, he was put to the test at the Imperial Academy, only to be abused and shamed for not being good enough, as the cadets from the Inner Rim worlds were considered to be superior. Jackson and a couple of other underdog cadets tried to escape the Academy the night before the final evaluation. Only Jackson survived, running without looking back at the other boys who were mercilessly shot at as they escaped – natural selection at its finest, according to the Commander. For years, Jackson climbed onto ships and travelled across the galaxy, until one day he snuck into Nora and just wasn’t shot because Jaebum took pity of him and let him stay.

“Do we have a job?” Mark asks, looking up from the game.

“Yeah,” Jaebum leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, “why do you sound so surprised?”

“Maybe because you’re drunk?”

Stifling a laugh, Jaebum says, “Listen Mark, you have to present yourself to others at your worst so that when you succeed, they think you’re a goddamn genius. And if you fail, well, they already think you’re a loser so you’re not disappointing anyone.”

“He’s a got a point,” Jackson reasons.

“He always does, according to you.” When Mark looks at the holographic creatures on the board, he notices that Jackson played while he was distracted. “Hey!” he shouts, pointing a finger at Jackson.

“What? It was a fair move. Shouting about it won’t help you.” Jackson laughs, leaning back on his chair as Mark reaches forward to grab the collar of his shirt.

Mark gets up from his seat, ready to start chasing after Jackson, “You better start running –”

“Hey, break it up, you two,” Jaebum stands between them, pressing a hand against their chests. “Mark, set the coordinates to Tatooine, and Jackson, go to the storage and do a list of things we’re in need of.” Heaving a sigh, Jaebum comments to himself once he’s alone, “These are going to be two long days.”

 

* * *

 

The Docking Bay of Mos Eisley is a dirt pit where Nora shouldn’t be landing on, Jaebum claims, as Mark radios their arrival, requesting a spot to land the ship. The trio disembarks and split ways; Mark is going to the local market with the list of needed provisions, while Jackson accompanies Jaebum to the rundown blockhouse cantina on the outskirts of the spaceport, to ask where they can find Bambam. Various strange forms of transport, including several unusual beasts of burden, are parked outside the bar. They enter the cantina and are welcomed by a smoke-filled atmosphere. The murky, moldy den is filled with a startling array of weird and exotic alien creatures and monsters at the long metallic bar. Jackson, a certified scaredy-cat, is slightly horrified at the sight of one-eyed, thousand-eyed, slimy, furry, scaly, tentacled, and clawed creatures that are huddled over drinks. He swallows in dry and moves to an empty spot at the bar near a group of human-looking creatures. Jaebum heaves a sigh and decides to follows him.

Even though he doesn’t really like to take Jackson to any place that is remotely dangerous because he’s panic on two legs, Jaebum had to bring him this time since he claims to be fluent in over six million forms of communication (Jaebum highly doubts it but he hasn’t failed him so far, so…). Also, Jackson is a pacifist which comes in handy when things go awry; he solves things cordially, unlike hotheaded Jaebum who whips out of his blaster and starts firing away.

Jaebum is almost by Jackson's side when a large, multiple-eyed creature gives him a rough shove.

"Negola dewaghi wooldugger?"

Jaebum frowns, looking at Jackson for translation, "Don’t mind it, please, JB."

"He pushed me –"

"– He's drunk –"

Jackson doesn't bother finishing his sentence – Jaebum is yelling, teasing and irritating the big creature. It gets more agitated and yells out some unintelligible gibberish at the now rather nervous Jaebum. A powerful blow from the creature sends Jaebum flying across the room, crashing through tables and breaking a large jug filled with a foul-looking liquid. With a blood curdling shriek, the monster draws a chrome laser pistol from his belt and levels it at Jaebum.

The bartender panics, shouting, "No blasters! No blasters!"

From the corner of the cantina, a green laser sword sparks to life with a buzz. A brown cloaked being, hood covering his head, approaches the vile creature, spinning around his laser sword. In a flash, the creature's screech fills the air as its arm lies on the floor. The cantina goes back to normal as the fight comes to an anticlimactic end – the robed figure turns off his lightsaber, hooks it again on his utility belt and makes his way to Jaebum who’s still sitting on the floor. Jackson bravely stands in front of his friend but as the cloaked being approaches them, they realize that he is a young man about their age, and that, seemingly, he doesn’t mean any harm.

“You are JB, are you not?” he asks, stretching his hand out at Jaebum.

Jaebum swats the other man's hand away, grasping the edge of the table to push himself off the floor. “Depends on who’s asking.”

“The name is Jinyoung and –”

“I thought Jedi were extinct,” Jackson mumbles, looking at Jinyoung’s lightsaber hilt.

“A lightsaber can be wielded by all beings of the galaxy, not only Jedi.” He turns to Jaebum again. “Like I was saying, my name is Jinyoung and I’m seeking passage off-world. I was hoping you could be of help.”

“Apologizes, Mister Jinyoung, but I have pressing matters at hands.”

Jackson and Jaebum begin walking away.

“I never said I wasn’t willing to pay.” When the two stop and look back, Jinyoung smirks victorious. “You were not thinking I was requesting your services for free, were you? I will pay ten thousand in advance and another ten thousand upon safe arrival.”

“Arrival where exactly?”

“Any place is alright, I suppose. I fear for my safety here so I'm looking forward to get away as fast as I can.”

Jaebum casts a look at Jackson who responds with a short nod. “Alright. My ship is at docking bay ninety-four. Another member of my crew should be there. Explain him the situation and deliver the first part of the payment. We'll leave once my affairs are solved here.”

“Very well. I will get ready for the departure and meet with your crewmate.”

Jinyoung starts making the way out of the bar when Jackson runs the few steps to catch up with him. “Before you go, do you know where we can find Bambam?”

“Try Watto’s parts shop in Mos Espa.”

“Thank you.” Looking back at Jaebum, he waves at him to walk his way. “C’mon JB, I know where we can find Bambam.”

Jaebum and Jackson borrow (read: _steal_ ) a speeder to get to Mos Espa. Tatooine is a harsh desert world, and if Jaebum relatively adapts well to it, the same can't be said about Jackson. Instead of asking around for Watto's Workshop, he keeps on seeking shadow under the white domed buildings that protect the citizens against the glare of the twin suns and the scorching heat. Eventually they find the junk shop among the dwellings (most of them are moisture farms, workspaces and commercial operations). They make their way inside through the front door, meeting a small, dingy workspace heaped with scraps, ships’ parts, gadgets and small droids lying here and there in a chaotic jumble.

Watto, a small, pudgy blue alien who flies on short little wings like a hummingbird, shows up from behind the counter. The Toydarian's skin is bluish-green, his eyes orange, his feet are webbed and he has a facial tusks beneath his trunk-like snout.

"Guta naloya."

Jackson repeats it with a smile and elbows Jaebum to say it as well. "He's greeting us," he explains, feeling Jaebum's gaze still on him.

"Ha chuba da nala?" the Toydarian asks.

"We're looking for a Bambam?" Jackson asks.

"Ah." He shouts, "Bambam! Naba dee unko."

A scrawny, disheveled young man runs in from the junk yard. He wears a rag – a waist-length robe and pants, both garments supposedly white under all the dust. A few strands of red are noticeable on his brown hair.

“What do you want the slave for?” Watto inquires, glaring Bambam. “Has he caused you any trouble?”

Jaebum and Jackson exchange a look – Bambam is... _a person_?

“No. We were uh – looking forward to buy him, actually,” Jaebum explains.

“We trade slaves outside, but alright.” The Toydarian flies closer to him, “What are you offering?”

“Twenty thousand Credits.”

Watto flies away with a wry chuckle, “Credits are no good out here. I need something more real.”

Jaebum’s hand wraps around his blaster; Jackson grabs his wrist, stopping him. “We’ll return once we have something _more real_ to offer you then.”

The duo leaves through the junk yard, leaving back Bambam and Watto, who is spitting orders at his slave.

“What were you thinking, JB?” Jackson asks sotto voce once they’re outside.

“The Prince said to bring him Bambam by any means necessary.”

“But that doesn’t mean that we have to get in trouble to do so.”

“You should make a bet on him,” a third voice adds.

Jaebum and Jackson stop talking, looking around to find out who’s speaking. They find a young man just around the corner, working on some droid. He’s dressed in the same ragged clothes as Bambam, has a thick head of brown hair, and a tear-like mole under his right eye. Jaebum is left staring… it can’t be _him_ …

_Twelve-year-old Jaebum is kneeling on the ground, peeking into a sewer channel. He grows more and more anxious as time passes by. Eventually, he starts hearing panting sounds coming closer and closer, and then he makes out the crawling figure of his younger friend. Youngjae, nine of age, squeezes himself out of the sewer with Jaebum’s help. Once outside, the two look down at a small vial with a blue liquid that Jaebum holds in his hands._

_They did it – they managed to steal a vial of Coaxium._

_Jaebum is so happy that he wraps his arms around Youngjae’s smaller body, giving him a rib-crushing hug. Youngjae laughs heartily, hugging Jaebum back. The two take a step back to look at each other, and don’t even need to exchange a single word; Jaebum stretches his hand out at Youngjae who immediately reaches for it. The two of them start running to the spaceport as fast as their little legs can carry them._

_The spaceport is packed with beings of all races, Stormtroopers patrolling the area and ensuring that everyone has a valid ticket to enter the transports. Jaebum and Youngjae look ridiculously tiny among everything and everyone. Hoofing through the spaceport with sweated clothes and beat-up boots, the two boys clasp their hands together a little tighter, fearing losing each other in the crowd. They are desperate to reach the gates and board on a transport, any transport – on the first one that will take them away from Corellia. Youngjae is an orphan, and even though Jaebum still has a living father, he feels as orphaned as Youngjae, since he spends all of his time working at the shipyard. They only have each other, they only trust in each other, and together they are going to leave their yet short-lived lives of scams and petty thefts behind._

_Jaebum’s heart starts beating too fast in his chest when he hears through the loudspeakers that the local authorities are looking for two youngsters who stole a vial of refined hyperfuel – those would be him and Youngjae. They need to get to the gates, fast._

_“Are you sure it will work, Bumie?”_

_“Yeah. Trust me, Jae,” Jaebum offers a warm smile but harshly tugs on Youngjae’s hand so that they can reach the boarding gates as quickly as possible._

_They walk with their heads hanging low, hearing the radios of the Empire troops going off with incoming information on the two little thieves. The boarding gates are literally before their eyes when –_

_“It’s them!” A Stormtrooper shouts, pointing at the two kids._

_They push through the crowd, doing their best to hide behind and in between everyone, but they never let go of each other’s hands._

_They reach the boarding gate and face an Empire agent that stares at them with a stern face. “Tickets.” She demands._

_Jaebum swallows in dry, “We don’t have tickets but,” he casts a look at Youngjae before showing her the vial of Coaxium, “but we have this. Hyperfuel, worth five hundred Credits. Maybe more. It can be yours if you just let us get in a transport, any transport.”_

_The agent ponders and the boys get even more distressed._

_“Please,” Youngjae begs, looking back at the Stormtroopers that are getting closer._

_She stretches out her hand, silently asking for the vial. Jaebum shakes his head, “Only after you open the gate.”_

_With a push of a button, the gate opens. He immediately transfers the vial of Coaxium to the agent’s hand and the two start racing to a transport. Jaebum lets go of Youngjae’s hand for a moment, a moment he’d regret for the rest of his life. Youngjae falls a little behind and – and he’s gone. Jaebum whips his head around, desperately searching for his friend among the sea of beings, and finds him being dragged away by a Stormtrooper. Youngjae doesn’t shout for help – he doesn’t want Jaebum missing the chance of escaping because of him – but he’s kicking his legs and flailing his arms, trying to resist the arrest._

_“Youngjae!” Jaebum starts running to him. “Hold on. I’m –”_

_“No, stop! Don’t come!” the younger begs. “Leave! Please, go!”_

_The gates close – they are now on opposite sides of the door. Jaebum pounds on the door with his fists, shouting until his face gets red and tears are streaming down his face._

_“I’ll come back for you,” Jaebum promises as Youngjae is taken farther and farther away._

Jaebum is brought back to reality when Jackson shakes him, saying, “Uh, JB, are you alright?”

No, he’s not alright. This slave boy reminds him of Youngjae but Jaebum _knows_ that the universe wouldn’t be gifting him with the chance of seeing Youngjae again – he doesn’t deserve to see Youngjae ever again. He promised that he’d go back to Corellia to get him but he took too long to return and upon not finding him, Jaebum gave up on trying to look for him. He should have searched for Youngjae on every planet of every star system but, in his heart, he had already given up hope. So, he doesn’t deserve to see Youngjae ever again because he didn’t try hard enough to find him. But Prince Yugyeom, on the other hand… he deserves to be reunited with his friend again because he never gave up, so Jaebum is going to do his part, no matter what.

“What kind of bets go on in here? Sabacc, Podraces…?” Jaebum asks the slave, hands on his hips.

“Mostly Podraces. The next one is tomorrow at dusk. I let you borrow my Pod, all you need to get is someone to pilot it.”

Jaebum then turns to Jackson, “Do you think Mark could pilot a Pod?”

He shrugs, “He’s a great pilot, I’m sure he can get a hang of it in a few hours.”

The slave jumps in the conversation, “Bam and I only leave after sunset. If you meet us here later today, I’ll show you my Pod.”

“Deal,” Jaebum nods. “Now, let’s arrange a bet with Watto.”

“And what exactly are we betting?” Jackson asks.

“Nora,” Jaebum says, strangely unfazed, “in exchange for Bambam.”

He gasps audibly. “Nora? You’re betting Nora? What if –”

“Come, Jackson. Now.” His commanding tone makes Jackson walk away immediately.

In no time, the duo is leaving the parts shop after closing the deal with Watto. Jackson returns to Nora, to swap places with Mark – they can’t, and won’t, trust Jinyoung, a complete stranger, to be alone in their ship – and Jaebum wanders around town, killing time until sunset. Memories of Youngjae won’t leave him, and for a while, Jaebum tries to look for a cantina or any dwelling that sells alcoholic beverages, looking forward to get drunk and numb out the pain. Eventually he realizes that he doesn’t want to numb the pain, he doesn’t want to put a bandage on a wound that needs stitches – he wants the pain and guilt to consume him… _again_. He sits on the floor, leaning back against the door of a house, seeking shadow under its domed roof. He closes his eyes for a moment and his mind begins to wander.

_Jaebum and Youngjae lie on the earthy ground of an abandoned shipyard. The setting sun peeks through the cracks of the broken windows of the dwelling. Jaebum lies on his back, an arm propped under his head, serving as a pillow, and Youngjae lies on his stomach, leisurely kicking his feet in the air. The cut on Jaebum’s forehead is scabbing and the bruises on Youngjae’s legs are turning black; they have just have shared a portion of food between the two and are waiting for the triplet moons to rise in the Corellian sky to leave for a theft._

_“If I was ever caught by a Clan or the Empire, how would you recognize me?” Youngjae croaks out, laying his head on his friend’s chest._

_“You’d never get caught by a Clan or the Empire.” Jaebum looks at Youngjae, the sunlight dancing across his face. Jaebum is still young, they both are, but he thinks that what he feels when he’s with Youngjae is love. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”_

_“I know how I’d recognize you,” Youngjae raises his hand to gently touch Jaebum’s twin moles on his left eyelid._

_Jaebum smiles shyly. In a shift move, he wraps his arms around Youngjae and makes him roll over so that they’re lying side by side._

_“One day, the sun will shine on us. Promise.”_

_Youngjae cuddles a little closer to Jaebum in response._

Jaebum’s brows are knitted together when his mind starts replaying the events of their abrupt separation. He can still see Youngjae’s little face all scrunched up, fighting back the urge to cry, begging him to leave. Jaebum then remembers how he got pushed into a transport and ended up in Mimban, mud up to his knees and blaster rifle in his hands, forced to serve in combat, a place where twelve-year-old’s clearly don’t belong.   

“I feel so much pain and guilt weighing up in your heart.”

Jaebum opens his eyes, finding a middle-aged, tan-skinned man looking at him. The man has short-trimmed black hair and pale blue eyes – Jaebum quickly realizes he’s blind – and dresses like a monk: a red tunic overlaying a dark blue robe, black pants and dark brown boots. He supports his weight on a staff that Jaebum understands it serves the purpose of being not only a walking stick but also a weapon.

“I’m sorry for blocking the entrance –” Jaebum quickly get up, dusting off his pants.

“Would you like to come inside for some tea?”

“Ah – no – sorry, but I have places to be. Thank you for the offer, nonetheless,” he tells the man, walking away.

“The door is open, if you change your mind.”

Jaebum doesn’t even walk a full mile before his feet start carrying him back to the man’s house. It’s as if he doesn’t have control over his body; he just feels an inexplicable need to meet the man. Jaebum stands at the door of the man’s house, finding him sitting at the top of the table with a steamy cup of tea cradled in his hands. There’s another cup of tea on the table; the man was sure that Jaebum would return.

“Come on in, take a seat,” Jaebum swears he saw the man smirk a little before sipping on his tea.

The Force is strong with the man, and even if Jaebum doesn’t really believe in it, he can’t deny the comforting feeling that this man conveys him.

 

* * *

 

As agreed, Jaebum returns to Watto’s part shop at dusk. Mark already accompanies him, mildly complaining about the fact that it has been a very long time since he last had sand in his pants ( _“It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere,”_ Mark grumbles – Jaebum ignores him). The two wait outside the shop for the two slaves to eventually show up.

“Was our unexpected guest any trouble?”

Mark shrugs, “Not really. He delivered the payment, asked for a place to drop his stuff and then did some meditation. He didn’t talk much and I didn’t pressure him to. I’m sure Jackson will somehow get him to lay out every detail of his life. And may the Force be with him because I know Jackson will get on his nerves.”

Jaebum stifles a chuckle.

The two slaves emerge from inside the workshop, trudging up slowly to Mark and Jaebum, clearly worn out after a harsh day of work.

“So, which one of you is Bambam?” Mark asks.

The brunette slave supplies, “He’s Bambam, I’m Youngjae.”

Upon hearing that name, Mark casts a look at Jaebum; he can see how the blood leaves his face in sheer panic. Mark recognizes the name – not that he knows who Youngjae is or what happened, but because, ever so often, the name escapes Jaebum’s lips in a form of a crying yell right before he wakes up from a nightmare, panting and sweating. Judging by his reaction, Mark can tell that he didn't know the slave's name up until now.

“Alright,” Mark starts rather awkwardly, “can you show me to the Pod?”

“Sure,” Youngjae replies. He motions with his head, “come with us.”

Bambam and Youngjae lead the way to the Slave Quarters Row that is nothing more than a row of lined cheap hovels. Mark, not one to start – or maintain – conversations, makes sure to ask all sorts of questions to the two slaves so that the walk to their dwelling isn’t unbearably awkward. Jaebum is a walking corpse, numb and unresponsive to the surrounding world. Upon reaching their hovel, Bambam says that he’s going to check the water level on their storage tank. Youngjae nods before unlocking the front door. Youngjae walks in first, Mark and Jaebum follow him.

The main door of the hovel leads directly into the dining area. The bio-converter power generator stands out at first glance, embedded on the wall across the room; a table and four chairs are placed on the center of the dining area. The kitchen supplies are old, overused, and the edges of the rug that is under the table are worn down. To the left, there's a small hall that leads into two divisions – Youngjae's room is to right, Bambam's to the left.

“We’re running out of water,” Bambam declares as he enters the hovel. “I’ll go to the Jeon’s farm to see if they lend us some.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Jaebum promptly offers to help.

Youngjae smiles at Jaebum, “Thank you so much. I’ll show the Pod to your friend in the meantime, alright?”

Jaebum comes off as rude by not responding, simply walking out of the hovel, but in reality he’s just too overwhelmed to even speak.

Arriving some time later, Jaebum gathers up the courage to meet with Mark and Youngjae at the courtyard on the back of the hovel. The two of them are around a shiny blue and silver Podracer, a repulsorcraft composed of a small cockpit pulled by two high-powered engines. The engines are locked to each other via an energy binder, and durable control cables connect the engines to the cockpit.

“Did the Jeon’s lend us some water?” Youngjae asks as soon as he spots Jaebum.

At first he only nods, but then supplies, “We brought two barrels. We have already deposited the water in the storage tank. And your friend Bambam went to bed, saying he was too tired.”

“Thank you for helping Bambam. He has the will, but has you can see, he’s all skin and bones. I don’t know how he hasn’t snapped in half yet with all the work Watto has him do.”

“Can I take the Pod for a spin?” Mark asks, crawling from under the Podracer.

“Of course.” Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, pointing in the general direction of the dwelling, Youngjae adds, “Let me just get you my night goggles.”

Once Youngjae enters the hovel, Mark turns to Jaebum, “You better make use of the time I’m away to talk with him.”

“Talk with him about what?”

“You wake up from nightmares screaming out his name.” He wipes some oil off his palms onto his pants, approaching Jaebum, “I don’t know how you two are related, or what went down between you two but –”

“There you go!” Youngjae happily says, handing the goggles over at Mark.

“Thank you.”

Mark takes the goggles and jumps into the Pod. After strapping himself in, he flips some switches on the control panel. Jaebum can’t help but to notice the smile on Youngjae’s face as the engine roars – it’s the exact same smile he had on his face when they were children, a smile that is as pure as it is mischievous. The Pod zooms off the courtyard, leaving a cloud of dust behind; they watch Mark for a while until he starts flying about farther away from the hovel, getting more and more used to piloting the Pod.

“Do you remember me?” Jaebum blurts out suddenly. “I don’t blame you if you don’t, or if you chose to erase my existence from –” Youngjae touches the twin moles on Jaebum’s eyelid; he immediately shuts up.

Youngjae beams. “I knew it was you first time I saw you,” he says barely on a whisper before throwing his arms around Jaebum’s neck, hugging him tightly. Jaebum’s arms are wrapped around Youngjae’s middle, maybe hugging him a little too tight, but he’s just so happy to have him in his arms again, he’s just so scared of losing him again.

“I’m sorry –” Jaebum whispers into Youngjae’s ear.

Youngjae pulls away, “It’s okay.”

“I went back to Corellia but I didn't find you and I just –”

“It’s okay.”

“I should have continued searching for you –”

Youngjae hushes Jaebum by placing his hand over his mouth. “It’s okay, Jaebum. You found me.”

“It was by chance. I –”

“I don’t care,” he offers a smile. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters to me.”

Holding Youngjae’s hands, Jaebum fervently promises, “I’m not leaving this planet without you. I –”

“You can’t.” Youngjae adds, “All slaves have transmitters.” He turns his head, showing a thin, gray metal piece implanted on the side of his neck, right under his ear. “It’s linked to our nerve system. Any attempt to escape and Master blows us up. They are controlled remotely but we only see that controller when we’re sold to another Master and it gets passed down to them.”

“I’ll find a way to remove it. No matter how long it takes.” Jaebum cups his face, caressing his cheek with his thumb, “I’m not going anywhere without you. Not again.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble but even the prospect of going back to Corellia seems great at this point.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.” Jaebum heaves a sigh, brushing a few hairs away from Youngjae’s forehead. “I should have returned faster –”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference, really. I was sent to the Coaxium mines of Kessel the morning after I was arrested. After that I bounced from planet to planet, from Master to Master, until I wound up here.”

Upon noticing that Mark is getting closer to the hovel, Youngjae and Jaebum put their conversation on hold.

“I think I got a hang of this,” Mark says, hoping off the Pod. “Do you have map of the Podrace’s circuit that I could look at?”

Youngjae nods his head, “Come inside,” he tells them.

Mark and Jaebum are introduced to Youngjae’s astromech droid, R2-D2 – small, silver and blue plated, dome-headed with a red sensor light that blinks every time it beeps. Youngjae asks it to show them a map of the race and the droid does as it’s told, projecting a blue-filtered hologram depicting a 3D map of the Mos Espa Circuit.

“The race starts here,” Youngjae points at the holographic location of the Mos Espa Grand Arena, “and then continues onto the Starlite Flats. It’s a stretch of desert so this is a great opportunity for you to start fighting for the leading positions. After that, you’ll enter this curving canyon. This is so narrow that you’ll all have to enter in a single line. Then, onto Mushroom Mesa – be careful, this part is mostly made of rock formations. And be _very_ careful here,” Youngjae points at the abrupt cliff shown in the map, “the Metta Drop is very steep and leads directly to narrow canyons again. A third of the Podracers crashes here. The race then continues onto a length of desert plains before reaching the most dangerous area. At the Arch Canyon you’ll find several stone wickets before entering another series of canyons, and then you’ll go underground onto the Laguna Cave. Sand People are usually perched on this Canyon,” Youngjae points at yet another canyon formation, warning, “they fire at the Pods just because they feel like it, so be careful. There are a couple more canyons and rocky obstacles ahead, and then onto the Hutt Flats that leads back to the arena, and that’s it? Oh,” he adds, “and you are required to do three laps with an average of 5 minutes per lap.”

With his arms crossed over his chest, Mark heaves a sigh, “I got a bad feeling about –”

“Dare you to lose,” Jaebum threatens. “We need to leave Tatooine with Bambam and Nora.” He looks at Youngjae, “And you too, of course.”

“Anything else?” Mark mumbles, his attention on the map.

Jaebum rolls his eyes with a sigh, pressing a kiss onto Youngjae’s hair. “Go to sleep, you look tired. Mark and I will study the circuit.”

Youngjae nods, too tired to object to the suggestion. “Don’t stay up until too late. You two need to rest as well.” Looking at the little droid, Youngjae tells it, “And you, do what they ask you to, alright?” The droid beeps something in response that makes Youngjae pat its domed head, “That’s a good boy.”

A while later, Youngjae returns to the room to hand over a few blankets with which Mark and Jaebum can form a makeshift bed.

 

* * *

 

The Mos Espa Grand Arena is a large semi-circular amphitheater, open-aired and open-ended, built into a natural canyon. Thousands of fans dominate the landscape, seated at the massive seating structure. Jaebum doesn’t sit among the crowd; he stands at one of the large viewing platforms that loom over the racetrack. Before being towed out onto the start grid, the Pods are housed in a large hangar located on the arena grounds. Mark stands by the side of the Pod the entire time, knowing it's likely that someone will tamper with it if he leaves it unattended even for a minute.

The ambience is almost festive; vendors sell barbecued creature parts and colorful drinks, and the spectators roar with anticipation, some of them placing bets on the racers. Jaebum notices Watto entering the arena, carrying a gray hand-held device that emits a bright blue light. He makes the way to one of the viewing platforms, keeping an eye on his racer, Vernon. Bambam follows Watto at a slower pace, hands and ankles shackled. Heaving a heavy sigh, Jaebum turns his attention the left side of the tracks across from the grandstands, waiting for the hangar gates to be open. Too bothered by the sight of the poor chained up slave, Jaebum lowers his viewing platform to approach Watto and the boy.

“Unfetter him, would you? He’s not going to run away and risk being zapped.”

Watto eyes Jaebum from head to toe before freeing Bambam from his restraints. “Better this way, human?”

“Come to my viewing platform,” he tells Bambam. The slave starts walking away from his Master without even looking back.

From a distance, Watto spits out, “Don’t get too used to his company. When the race’s over, you’ll be leaving with me.”

The racers emerge from the large hangar, the Pods being brought to the tracks by a variety of creatures and droids. Mark looks up at Jaebum, providing a salute, as a way of telling him that he has everything under control – Jaebum is too nervous to believe it. Hopping onto the Pod, Mark buckles in and flips some switches, energy binders shooting between the engines. Before the race officially starts, some information about the eighteen racers is displayed on the big screens of the arena and on the small hand-held screens as well. Their names and photos are presented on a list, ranked in order of probability of them winning the race – Mark comes in last place, which isn’t surprising.

Mark adjusts his helmet and goggles one last time, before tightly gripping the yoke, waiting for the light on the bridge over the track to turn green. He takes one last look at Jaebum, nodding at him, before setting his mind on the race.

The crowd roars enthusiastically when the light flashes green and the Podracers shoot forward, flying out of the Arena and into the desert.

Vernon is running neck to neck with Taeil. They round the first turn in the track, side by side. Vernon drives his Pod into his rival, forcing him into a wall of a large rock formation. Taeil crashes in a spectacular display of fire and smoke. Mark is much faster than the four back-end racers and passes them easily, until one of the racers, Chani, won’t let him by. Mark tries to pass him on one side and is cut off; he then tries to pass him on the other side, to no success either. As they approach Metta Drop, Mark backs off a little, only to suddenly accelerate and fly over Chani’s Pod and speeding way.

Four Tusken Riders are perched on a canyon above the race course and fire their rifles at the Pods; one shot ricochets off the back of Mark’s Pod. Mark passes racers right and left as they continue over hills and cliffs. Vernon is still in the lead, and he is being challenged by another racer, Yuta. Vernon slows down a little, and as Yuta pulls alongside, Vernon pulls out of his blaster and fires at Yuta’s Pod, opening a side on his opponent’s engine. Yuta faces difficulties for only a moment, before his Pod explodes; Vernon deftly veers away.

The pilots, with Vernon leading them, race past the main area, starting lap two. Mark is still struggling to gain on the pack and Jaebum is cursing under his breath, heart racing as fast as the Pods. Bambam watches quietly, spine prickling with anxiety.

Having already completed one full lap around the circuit makes Mark feel more at ease. However, the other racers make him feel uneasy since he doesn’t know what to expect from them. When they enter the Laguna Cave, Xero breaks a small part off his own Pod to throw it into the engine of the racer who was flying right behind him. Heechul loses control of his Pod and veers into Mark. Heechul collides into a rock formation and explodes, while Mark struggles to keep control of the Pod. A little more ahead of him, Vernon cuts the engine of Kino’s Pod with his side exhaust, causing the racer crash with a cloud of dust; Mark rounds the corner, heading into the cloud of smoke, and barely manages not to crash as well.  

Mark finally catches up with Vernon, the two of them racing side by side as they come through the arena. Jaebum and Bambam rejoice loudly as the lights in the tower indicate that this is the third and final lap. On the adjacent viewing platform, Watto begins to worry – Jaebum casts a look at him, smirking. 

Furious, Vernon sets his mind on stopping Mark from crossing the finish line, by any means necessary. Vernon allows Mark to pass him only to fly right on his tail, crowding him and pushing him through the turns. Mark doesn’t want to play dirty, but Vernon is hell-bent on destroying him, so he decides to retaliate. However, he isn’t fast enough to react. Vernon bangs into his Pod over and over again, causing the steering rods of their Pods to become hooked together. Mark fights to unhook the steering rods, pulling away from Vernon. The strain on the steering rods is tremendous. As they separate, the release of tension snaps Mark’s steering arm, making his Pod spin out of control. Vernon skids and is sent into an ancient statue; one engines explodes, and then the other. Mark flies through the cloud of smoke and into the arena at top speed.

The crowd stands, cheering – they have a winner. Jaebum lowers the viewing platform, running to Mark; Watto breaks his hand-held screen, grumbling under his breath. A crowd awaits Mark as he jumps off the Pod; he’s hailed as the winner by some and booed by others. Jaebum focuses on guiding Mark and Bambam away from the crowd so that they can meet Watto and then leave the arena.

“Give me Bambam’s controller,” Jaebum demands, looking at the device Watto holds onto tightly.

Bambam starts screaming in pain, pressing one of his hands against the side of his neck as he falls to his knees. Jaebum and Mark try to reach for the controller but Watto flies just a little over their heads, mockingly laughing as he continues to press a button on Bambam’s controller that sends discharges of electricity through his body. By now, Bambam is spasming and is only a matter of seconds before the damage done to his nerve system become irreversible.

Mark reaches for Jaebum’s leg holster, whipping out of his blaster and pointing it at Watto, “Give it to me right now!” he growls in a low, menacing tone.   

Watto stops electrocuting Bambam but doesn’t let go of the controller right away. He stares defiantly at Mark and lets out a small chuckle before dropping the controller onto the earthy ground and flying away.

Mark grabs the controller, grumbling under his breath, “Bastard.” Looking back, he sees Jaebum helping Bambam get back up on his feet. “You alright, kid?”

Bambam nods, taking in deep, troubled breaths, body still shaking.

“Get back to the ship,” Jaebum orders, draping Bambam’s arm around Mark’s shoulders. “I’m going to meet with Youngjae and find a way to remove his transmitter. If I’m not back in an hour, you set the coordinates to Tatooine and leave.”

“I’m not leaving –” Mark starts, lacing an arm around Bambam’s waist, to help him stand upright.

“You are leaving, do you hear me, Tuan? You need to take him to Alderaan, and you need to drop Jinyoung off along the way too.”

Mark reluctantly nods and watches Jaebum run out of the arena.

“He’s going to get Youngjae too?” Bambam asks as he and Mark are leaving.

“Yes. They go back a long time and I know that he won’t be leaving without him.”

“Wait,” he frowns, “he’s JB as in Jaebum, Youngjae’s _Bumie_?”

“I guess so?” Mark tells him. “I don’t know what happened. All I know is that he wakes up screaming out his name.”

On the way to ship, Bambam tells Mark everything Youngjae ever told him about his life in Corellia, everything from the day he met Jaebum to the day they were separated.

                                     

* * *

 

When Mark arrives to the ship, he’s immediately met with Jackson standing at the top of the boarding ramp.

“I knew you could win the race,” he quickly says, casting a look at Bambam who follows Mark. He then looks back at his crewmate, “Now that you’re here, I need your help.”

“O – kay,” he mumbles. “Let me just show Bambam to the quarters.”

Mark guides Bambam to the quarters that are being occupied by Jinyoung, telling him that he can get some rest in there or grab something to eat from their small dining area. After leaving Bambam to settle in, he goes to find Jackson. He doesn’t get to reach Jackson because Jinyoung intercepts him on his way to the main hold area.

“Finally, you’re here.” He tugs on Mark’s arm, attempting to pull him in the direction of the cockpit area, “Can we leave now?”

Jackson shows up, tugging on Mark’s other arm, “You need to calm down, Jinyoung.”

“Can either of you explain me what’s going on?” Mark yells, swatting their hands away and taking a step back.

“If we don’t leave now, we all might die,” Jinyoung explains.

“There’s no one coming for you, Jinyoung,” Jackson reiterates for the nth time that evening – to no avail.

“What is going on?” Mark asks again, punctuating almost every word with growing anger.

“I had a vision in my sleep,” Jinyoung tells him. “The Empire hired a bounty hunter to kill me. He’s on his way here."          

“Why would the Empire send a bounty hunter to kill you?” Mark asks, ready to throw Jinyoung out the ship if it means that he will get them in _even more_ trouble.                                      

Heaving a deep sigh, Jinyoung says, “Because the Empire slaughtered all the Jedi they could find. I was a youngling, training at the Temple, when they barged in and killed everyone. Us, the ones who were lucky enough to survive, have been hiding, surviving. The Empire now hires bounty hunters to find and kill all the remaining Jedi in the universe. Everything I know of the ways of The Force, I learned it myself. If we don’t leave now and you die, it’ll be on me. I don’t know enough to protect you.”

“We’re not going anywhere until JB is here, so whoever comes in here to pick a fight is going to have a hard time.”

“You don’t understand the seriousness –”

“No one in this ship hates the Empire more than we do,” Mark says, looking at Jackson. “We’ve got what it takes to fight, and if we die fighting the Empire, at least we’ll die full of pride.”

“I’d rather not die,” Jackson pipes up, “but that’s just me.”                

Mark rolls his eyes, turning to Jinyoung. “You’ve got two choices: you either grab your things and leave, or you gear up for a fight because we’re not leaving.”

Jinyoung nods, having made his decision. He walks back to the quarters and returns with his lightsaber. “If you die, I won’t feel guilty about your deaths.”

“I wouldn’t want you to, love.”

 

* * *

 

Jaebum stands at the entrance of Watto’s part shop, waiting for Youngjae to lock everything.

“I’ve heard that Mark won the Podrace,” Youngjae comments.

“I never doubted him. He’s the best pilot I’ve met. And I’ve met a lot.”

Youngjae looks back and smiles, “What happened to you, then? You used to be one hell of a pilot.”

Jaebum grins shyly, “I just knew Corellia like the back of hand. And I had you watching my back.” He heaves a long sigh, “If I had known, I would have broken your hand, but I wouldn’t let go.”

“Dwelling on the past won’t change anything. We need to focus on the future, like for example,” he tilts his head, “getting this thing off me. Have you found a way?”           

“I’m taking you to Mister Îmwe.”

“What?” Youngjae’s eyes go wide. “He’s blind. He’ll either kill me or paralyze me from the neck down.”

“He won’t. Trust me,” Jaebum tells him. “He sees things that you and I don’t.” 

_“How did you know it was me walking in?” Jaebum asks, taking a seat at the table across from the man._

_“You know how I know that.”_

_“No, I don’t. You’re blind, there’s no way you could know it was me.”_

_The man, Îmwe, smiles, “The Force allows me to see things beyond your understanding, and you know that.”_

_“Apologies for my skepticism but I don’t believe in The Force.”_

_“Yes, you do, or else you wouldn’t have come back, Jaebum.” Jaebum’s breathe hitches, causing the man to chuckle. “Don’t look so surprised. Deep down, you believe in The Force.” After a moment of silence, the man continues, “You came here for something entirely different and stumbled upon him. You found him after years apart and I know that you won’t be leaving without him. You love him dearly. But you’ll need help to break him free, and you will come to me.”_

_“Why would I come to you, out of all people?”_

_“Because you know that even blind, I see more than anyone on this planet.”_

When Jaebum knocks on Mister Îmwe’s door, the man comes to open it almost immediately, as if he was waiting for him, _again_.

“Lay down on the table, son,” he says, resting a hand on Youngjae’s shoulder. He turns to Jaebum, “And you, hold him still.”       

Youngjae gulps loudly, nervous at the sight of a scalpel, forceps, gauze bandage, needle and thread, sitting on top of counter. He climbs onto the table as he was told. Jaebum leans down, kissing Youngjae’s hair before pressing his head down against the table so that he won’t move.

There’s a lot of blood. Youngjae screams, grits his teeth and cries his eyes out. Jaebum weeps silently, one hand resting on his upper arm, the other one still on his head. Jaebum cries harder when Mister Îmwe pulls the transmitter out as Youngjae whispers _just kill me, please_. Mister Îmwe throws the transmitter away and threads the needle. Youngjae still has an open, bleeding wound but that doesn’t stop Jaebum from burying his face on the crook of his neck. The hand that was resting on his upper arm slides down and comes to rest on his chest; Youngjae’s shaking hand comes grab Jaebum’s.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry,” Jaebum bawls, pressing little kisses on Youngjae’s sweaty hair and cheek.                                                         

Youngjae breathes heavily. “I’m free.”

“Yes, you are,” Jaebum runs his fingers through his hair.

Mister Îmwe begins suturing and dressing Youngjae’s wound. A sob racks his body every now and then but he's calming down now. Compared to the pain he was put through just moments before, the suturing feels like nothing. When the man is finished, Youngjae tries to get up but he barely has any strength to push himself up into a sitting position. Jaebum immediately picks him up, one arm around his back and the other one around the bend in his knees.

“You’ll have to believe in The Force if you want to leave this planet,” Mister Îmwe says as he opens the door for them.

“What do you mean?”

“You have to go now,” the man puts his hand on Jaebum’s back, nudging him out the door.

Jaebum turns back, about to inquire the man again when he closes the door, leaving him dumbfounded. He heaves a sigh and begins walking the way to the Docking Bay.

“How’re you feeling?”

Youngjae sighs, “Tired. But you can put me down. I can walk, you know?”

“I know,” Jaebum smiles, pressing a kiss onto his hair. “I will put you down when I’m tired.”

Jaebum is lying through his teeth and Youngjae knows it. “Promise me you will.”

“I promise.”

Youngjae’s feet don’t touch the ground until they get to their destination.

Upon reaching the Docking Bay, Jaebum faces a bizarre sight: Mark, Jackson, docking bay workers, Stormtroopers and a heavily armored figure are all just standing there, immobilized, in awkward, stiff postures. Some of them have dropped their weapons, bolts of energy shot from pistols and others alike strain and vibrate in midair. Jaebum notices that one of those bolts of energy is frozen just a few inches away from Jackson’s chest; it seems that Mark was jumping in front of Jackson to shield him from the shot the moment he was frozen. Quickly, Jaebum’s eyes scan the place and find the person behind this – Jinyoung. He stands at the boarding ramp of the ship, a hand raised; he appears to be mumbling something to himself.

Jaebum crosses the Docking Bay with Youngjae still in his arms and puts him down on his feet at start of the boarding ramp, telling him to get inside. Bambam peeks from inside the ship, confused, and quickly runs down the ramp to help the limply Youngjae get inside.

“Buckle in you two,” Jaebum orders. “I have the feeling this is going to be a turbulent departure.”

Approaching Jinyoung, he hears him saying over and over under his breath, “I’m one with The Force and The Force is with me.”

“Hey,” Jaebum starts softly, fearful of breaking whatever trance Jinyoung is under. “Great job, buddy, but I need you to release Mark and Jackson.”

“Can’t,” he hurriedly whispers, resuming with his mantra right after.

“Yes, you can. Just focus. Let go of Mark and Jackson so that they get in the ship and we leave, alright?”

Jinyoung’s breath quickens, his raised hand trembles, “I can’t.”

“I’m going to open the rooftop and you’re going to work really hard on letting go _just_ the two of them, alright?”

Jinyoung nods. As he runs to reach the control panel, Jaebum notices the panic on both Mark and Jackson’s faces, their eyes shifting from the frozen bolt of energy to Jaebum.

“Working on it, boys,” Jaebum assures them.

The retractable rooftop rolls back, the moon and the stars shine bright in the sky. Jaebum looks up and, for a moment there, he forgets about his surroundings. It’s only when he hears Mark shouting at him to get in the ship that he realizes that Jinyoung has managed to release both him and Jackson from the Force Stasis he had also captured them in. Jaebum runs up the boarding ramp and into the ship before realizing that Jinyoung didn’t follow him.

“I don’t think I can continue to hold them still after I move,” Jinyoung says. “I’m not strong enough, not wise enough –”

Jinyoung’s self-deprecating speech gets abruptly cut off as Jaebum grabs him by the arm and starts dragging him into the ship. Mayhem takes over the docking bay once again, everyone firing and fighting everyone, but at least they’re all inside the ship now. Like Jaebum anticipated it’s a rocky take off but they get to relax as soon as the ship pierces Tatooine’s atmosphere and zooms off into space, heading to Alderaan.  

Bambam is already sleeping when Jaebum shows Youngjae to his quarters and tells him to get some rest as well. After that, he meets with Mark, Jackson and Jinyoung in the main hold area, to discuss how they’re going to help the young Jedi.

“Mark and I were talking,” the moment Jackson says that, Jaebum knows that a decision has already been made and that he’s being merely informed about it, “and the only way to get Jinyoung out of the Empire’s radar is if he’s always on the move.”

Mark continues, “He solves things politely, like a good Jedi, but he can also fight, so he’d be a good addition to our team.”

“Can we discuss this another time? I’m exhausted. We all are.” Jaebum gets up, “Get some sleep, guys.”

“You’re letting him stay, aren’t you?” Jackson asks hopeful.

Jaebum starts walking away. “You already decided as much.” He bites his lower lip, holding back a chuckle when he hears Jackson excitedly talking a mile per minute about everything Jinyoung is going to be a help with. He overhears him saying something about wanting to learn how to control The Force as well. “Go to sleep.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Jaebum heaves a long sigh – Jinyoung is staying which means another mouth to feed, another person to split the payments with, another person to worry about. When he opens the door of his quarters and sees Youngjae still awake, looking at him with droopy eyes, he smiles at the sight. He also has to look after Youngjae, but that’s a given. Youngjae shifts in bed, making space for Jaebum.

“How’re you feeling?” Jaebum asks him again that night as he slips into bed with him.

Youngjae gets as close as humanely possible to Jaebum, forehead pressed against his. “Better now.”

Jaebum’s smile could outshine the brightest of the stars.

 

* * *

 

When the group arrives in Alderaan and Mark radios their arrival, he’s surprised to hear that they already have a platform ready for their landing.

“The King knows.”

And true to Jaebum’s words, when they all disembark the ship they see the King of Alderaan waiting for them, his son waits right next to him. It finally dawns on Jaebum how young the Prince still is; he’s nervously fiddling with the sleeves of his attire, shoulders hunched up a little. He looks so child-like, so innocent, despite his age, and especially, despite his height. When he sees Bambam step out of the ship, he instantly breaks into a smile; Bambam mirrors his expression. They hug each other and don’t seem willingly of letting go of one another any time soon. They do take a step back and let go of each other when Jaebum and the rest of his crew approach them and the King.

“I didn’t tell your father anything,” Jaebum assures the young Prince, reminding him that he honored his request.

“No, you didn’t,” the King says. “But, you should have known I’d know one way another,” he tells his son. “What kind of King would I be if I didn’t know what happens in my planet?”

“You only found out because 3-PO told you,” the Prince whines.

The King chuckles softly, turning his attention to Jaebum again. “As a way of thanking you for bringing Kunpimook back home, I’d like to invite you and your crew for a banquet tonight.”

Jaebum bows, “Thank you, your Highness. And, if it’s not too much to ask, could one of your doctors examine one of my crewmates?” he looks at Youngjae who stands next to him. “And, it’d best to examine Bambam as well. He still needs to get his transmitter removed.”

“It’d be the least I could do,” the King tells him. “My maids will meet with you to usher you to our quarters where you can clean yourselves and get some rest. Anything that you need, let them know.”

This time, everyone, including Prince Yugyeom, bows as the King leaves. Everyone is left to their own devices as they wait for the King’s servants.

Youngjae walks closer to the edge of the platform, looking at the cloudless sky and bright sun. Jaebum sneaks up on him, looking at him with the fondest of the smiles.

“You were right,” Youngjae says barely on a whisper.

“About what?”

He looks away from the sky and leans in to peck Jaebum’s lips, “The sun is shining on us.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, that was it. I got a little too carried away but I loved writing this.
> 
> If you actually know something about Star Wars, here's a list of characters I used as inspiration for each member:
> 
> Jaebum: Han Solo  
> Mark: Poe Dameron and Rey  
> Jackson: Finn and C-3PO  
> Jinyoung: Obi-Wan Kenobi  
> Youngjae: (Slave) Anakin Skywalker (and Qi’ra for the backstory)  
> Bambam: (Slave) Anakin Skywalker  
> Yugyeom: Leia Organa


End file.
